


How Lieutenant Shamrock Saved John Geary, the Fleet, and the Alliance

by sglottalk



Category: The Lost Fleet - Jack Campbell
Genre: Escape Pod, Gen, Missing Scene, Pre-Canon, Space Opera
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-07-19 19:30:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7374523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sglottalk/pseuds/sglottalk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elysia Jamenson discovers something critically important.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How Lieutenant Shamrock Saved John Geary, the Fleet, and the Alliance

"Captain," Lieutenant Elysia Jamenson said as she pointed at something on the display scrren. "There is an unusual energy reading from this object."

"It is such a tiny leak of energy from a very small object," Captain Smythe said. "Is that what you were looking for when you suggested that someone do a very careful scan of that orbit around the star?"

"I was not looking for that specifically, but I think I know what it is," Lieutenant Jamenson said.

"Oh?"

"It's an escape pod."

"But escape pods would never leak energy like that! I have to be knowledgeable about such things, to ensure that all of our escape pods remain in proper condition."

"Modern escape pods would never leak energy like that," Lieutenant Jamenson agreed. "But escape pods which were manufactured a century ago would leak energy like that. That orbit of debris around the star most likely was created by an event which happened about a hundred years ago."

"A hundred years ago? But that would mean..."

"And the fact that it is leaking energy means it has some energy left, and that there might be someone inside who is not dead."

"It's not possible for someone to survive in an escape pod for a hundred years..."

"With the escape pods we manufacture now, no. The escape pods we manufacture now would only last ten years, tops. But before the war, they made more durable, higher quality escape pods. Under the certain conditions, someone might survive in one of those old escape pods for a century. For example, if the comm equipment had been damaged in such a way that it did not draw any energy at all - which would also explain why nobody ever picked up this escape pod - then that would extend the time that minimum life support could be sustained by decades."

"Why did you look into this?"

"Since it will be a while before we communicate with Fleet Headquarters again, I am not writing any reports to confuse them now, which left me with some free time. I decided to look for any lingering remains from the Battle of Grendel, and see what I could learn."

"This - how sure are you about this?"

"If someone were to set up a betting pool, I would be inclined to bet that inside that escape pod is Black Jack himself."

Captain Smythe whistled. "This is an incredible opportunity!"

"If someone tries to make a profit from this, I hope they give me a cut."

"Not that anyone would ever try to make a profit from such an opportunity, but if anyone had such inclinations, I am sure that they would want to keep you on their side."

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone reading this is not already familiar with _The Lost Fleet_ , reading the [the first chapter of _Dauntless_](http://www.jack-campbell.com/_series/lost_fleet/lost_fleet_dauntless_excerpt.htm) would explain at least part of what is going on in this fanfic.


End file.
